April 2013 - Porsche Club of America – Northeast Region

continued from previous page
because I learnt (and I am still learning) just what my car can do,
and if I ever need to get out of a dangerous situation while driving
on Route 128, or along a winding road, I know what the car
will do if I ask it.
Joe Marko went into the items necessary to participate in
DE. The only necessary item is an approved helmet. Not every
helmet will be approved for participation in DE, so you should
check the DE website to find out the specifics. I know when
Marcus and I first started looking for a helmet we had no idea
whatsoever and floundered for a while not knowing where/what
to look for. We finally printed out the specs and went to our local
motorbike shop... isn’t that where you buy a helmet? (Smile.) It
turns out not all helmets will work, but we ended up finding one.
Later Marcus found out about HMS and bought his helmet there.
He was impressed with how knowledgeable, and easy, it was to
buy the right helmet for DE.
Another thing Steve Artick went over was the need for a tech
inspection prior to going to DE. I believe there is a list of places
on the website where you can go for a tech inspection, and it is
a quick visit. One participant asked about the cost of the tech
inspections. A few people mentioned that they are generally
free, but it was pointed out that this is not the case 100% of the
time, so you need to ask the question before scheduling your car.
Preregistration is also required. This is so that the organizers
can create run groups that can be grouped by experience. Novice
drivers are grouped with novice drivers, experienced drivers
are grouped with experienced drivers, and so on.
It’s probably appropriate for me to mention that DE is not for
men only!! DE is just as beneficial for women, and just as much
fun! It’s for PCA members, 18 years or older, that have a current
driver’s license. You can also have two drivers sharing a car at an
event. The organizers will just put one of you in a different run
group. I have to say that in one DE I split the driving in my car
with Sam, our 18-year-old son. I was a little nervous of him driving
the car because he had his driver’s license only 3–4 months.
And then he was going to be driving my 911? What were we
thinking? Anyway, by the end of the two days I was very comfortable
with Sam driving my car, and I think he learnt a huge
amount in handling a car safely at speed. Far better for him to
learn this in a controlled environment with an experienced instructor
sitting in the passenger seat telling him exactly what to
do, than on Route 128 with a friend in the passenger seat.
At the ground school we had many members of the NER board,
track committee, Autocross committee, THE NOR’EASTER editor,
and others. The purpose of all of these folks, who know what
DE is, is to say hello and make you feel welcome and encourage
you to give DE and other types of club activities a try. It’s so
nice to be able to be in a group of people who have the same
passion that you do about Porsches. You can talk about your
cars, your experiences, without worrying about whether you are
making someone else uncomfortable, and you have a natural
common interest with everyone you meet in the club. Attending
the ground school were Kristin Larsen (Treasurer), Dave
Berman (Autocross committee), Steve Ross (Past President
— thank you, Steve, for your help while I was taking my notes
(smile), Matthew Wallis (Track Committee), Adrianne Ross
(NOR’EASTER Editor/Track Social Coordinator), John Dunkle
(NCR Chief Instructor), Dick Anderson (Novice Development),
Jerry Pellegrino (NER Chief Instructor), Kristin Larson (DE Control/NER
Treasurer), Stan Corbett (Track Chair), myself (Membership
Co-chair). I wish I’d had a chance to chat with more
people before I needed to leave but, honestly, if you have any
questions at all about any aspect of the club, there are many
people who would be happy to chat with you and answer
your questions. You only need to ask.
Minutes continued from page 10
mittee met in early March and completed the revision of the
score sheets, approved a writing of the rules and classes for
publication in the newsletter and web page, and have now
scheduled a judges meeting for early May at the Larz Anderson
Museum of Transportation.
Under New Business, Bill clarified how the e-blasts are
scripted and sent, then, in concert with Nick, worked out the
responsibilities of who would post and remove notices of
upcoming events on the home page. Steve then mentioned
that Dani, Marcus and Dave are working on updating the
newsletter subscription process to ease the workload on the
membership chair(s) and treasurer via a possible on-line payment
system.
Adrianne mentioned that the current issue at 50-plus pages
is the largest edition of THE NOR’EASTER in history, filled out
with a number of Zone 1 event promotions.
With no further business Kristin move that the meeting adjourn,
Nick seconded, and the vote was unanimous. It ended
at 9:54 pm at which time “Turbo,” the Seymour/Driscoll’s dog,
awoke and joined “Suko,” Dani’s dog, who had been sleeping
in her car during dinner and the meeting, for a walk on the
street before going home.
The next board meeting will be on April 10th at the Larson/
Berman residence in Acton. The May meeting will be hosted
by Hans Peter in Wayland on May 15th.
N O R E A S T E R page 53